Chardonnayed to Rest (The Wine Trail Mysteries #2)

Author:  J.C. Eaton
Genre: Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781516108022
Lyrical Underground 
220 Pages
$15.00; $4.99 Amazon
September 25, 2018

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In Seneca Lake, New York, Norrie Ellington's Two Witches Winery has been selected by the local vintner community to host the annual Federweisser, a celebration of the season's first fermentation of white Chardonnay grapes.  But the festivities are spoiled when Norrie learns that landowner Roy Wilkes has raised her neighbor Rosealee Marbleton's rent so high, she may have to close her vineyard.

Before the rent hike could go into effect, Wilkes is found dead on Rosalee's property - stabbed by a flowerpot stake - and she becomes the police's number one suspect.  To clear her friend's name, Norrie conducts her own investigation.  But as she gathers clues, Norrie finds herself targeted by a killer, and if she's not careful, her desire to see justice done may die on the vine...

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Norrie Ellington is managing the family winery while her sister Francine and her husband Jason spend a year in Costa Rica searching for a rare bug.  Norrie is a screenwriter who has her own deadline to make, so she's needing all the free time she can get to finish it.

Unfortunately, it won't be this week, and possibly not the next, either.  Her friend and a fellow winery owner, Rosalee Marbleton tells Norrie that a newcomer to Penn Yan has bought land nearby that she has a pipeline for water running though, and he's raised the rent so high she may have to close her winery.  But when Roy Wilkes's body is found by Rosalee she calls Norrie in a panic.  Along with another winery owner, Theo, they investigate and sure enough, Roy is dead.

But when Rosalee's handyman Kelsey is arrested for the crime and it's implied that Rosalee may have put him up to it. she begs Norrie to find out the truth.  Against her better judgment, Norrie agrees.  But will digging into another murder find a killer or will it put her next on the list to die?

This is the second book in the series and I have to say that I liked it better than the first.  The characters are starting to develop personalities and come into their own and I felt that this was lacking in the debut book, and Norrie is becoming more comfortable with the employees at the winery, even though she's not as fond of the place as is her sister.

There were, however, a couple of things that rankled me a bit: in the first book she met a couple of developers that were so "hot" she couldn't think straight; and in this book she meets an attorney and mentions that she's never met anyone so attractive.  How hot is this guy?  Does Norrie find one to surpass another around every corner?  Then I get the feeling that a love triangle might be in the offering.  Please, please no.  Love triangles are never fun to read about at all, and take away pleasure in the book.

The other thing that bothered me is the fact that Norrie doesn't realize just how much like Deputy Gary she is.  She decides one person is guilty and refuses to even consider anyone else might be the culprit.  She just goes around trying to prove she's right.  I get that she's a screenwriter and has a vivid imagination, but she should also think logically and look for clues, sifting through them to find the truth.  Instead, she comes up with hair-brained schemes she decides will bring the killer to justice.  While we, the readers, had a pretty good clue as to who the killer was because of a single act, Norrie was oblivious to that fact.  Also, and I can't help but wonder about this, who is the sheriff in this town, and shouldn't a homicide detective be investigating murders, not a town deputy?  Just curious.

Aside from these things, I found that the story was written well and put together nicely.  The reason for the murder was believable, and even the final confrontation - given the personalities involved - was believable as well.

I thought the bowlers and quilters were probably the funniest part of the story and even made me laugh out loud at one point, and I do love Norrie's "thoughts in her head."  She's pretty sarcastic to herself, and it gives a bit of lightness to the story that keeps it moving along at a good pace.  In the end, I thought this was a pretty decent book and a fairly quick read.  The murder was tied up creditably, and I would like to see what the next in the series brings.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Chardonnayed-Rest-J-C-Eaton/dp/1516108027/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2525723549

More on J.C. Eaton's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/j-c-eaton/

A Riesling to Die (The Wine Trail Mysteries #1)

Author:  J.C. Eaton
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781516108015
Lyrical Underground Publishing
220 Pages
$15.00; $0.99 Amazon
March 27, 2018

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Norrie Ellington is a successful screenwriter living in New York City.  She's also been a silent partner for her family's winery upstate - until her sister and brother-in-law take a year-long sabbatical.  With an experienced staff doing the work, Norrie figures Two Witches Winery will run itself while she enjoys the countryside and writes in peace and quiet.

Unfortunately, there's a sour grape in the town of Penn Yan who doesn't care for vineyards.  Bed and breakfast owner Elsbeth Waters complains to everyone who'll listen that the local wineries are bad for her business.  But when Elsbeth's body is found on Norrie's property, the victim of foul play, the screenwriter-turned-vintner dons a sleuthing cap to uncover the identity of a killer who told the B&B proprietress to put a cork in it - permanently...

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When Norrie Ellington is begged by her sister Francine to come and take care of their family's winery while she spends a year in Costa Rica with her husband, who has a research grant, Norrie reluctantly agrees.  While she's apprehensive about running the winery she couldn't wait to escape from in the first place, she's soon reassured that the staff is well-versed in the day-to-day operations and all she has to do is oversee things and write the monthly checks.

But unfortunately things don't happen that way.  After her sister and brother-in-law are barely out of the country, she's awakened by two employees who inform her there's a body in the vineyard.  And when she goes to investigate, she discovers that it's the woman she had an unpleasant encounter with the day before at the winery's tasting room.  But who would want to leave Elsbeth's body in their vineyard?  And while she finds out that the woman wasn't well-liked, who hated her enough to kill her?

Norrie has an idea that it might be the developers who are trying to buy up everyone's winery to build a mega-one; but proving it might be another matter altogether.  If she's not careful, she could wind up losing everything, including her life...

This is the first book in the series, and since I enjoy the others by this author, I thought I would give it a chance.  It has potential, but I found that there were some things that didn't make any sense (although I will admit I know very little about wineries, only having visited a few in my lifetime.  First off though, was a pretty big thing:

Why did Elsbeth buy a B&B in wine country - paying cash, no less - if she hated the wineries?  Surely she knew that her business would be centered around them, and without them, she might not have enough customers to keep her afloat.  This, unfortunately, was the biggest question, because it didn't make any sense at all.  She had to know this, so I didn't understand why she was complaining about them.  You'd think it would be more to her advantage to make friends and try to work out deals with the wineries, such as trading coupons with them or something of that sort, instead of trying to put them out of business.  I'm also not sure she wasn't the one leaving "problems" at the wineries instead of the developers.

Then it would have been nice to know something about Penn Yan; there were very little descriptions and not enough to make anyone want to visit, which is a big thing in books.  You want your readers to feel as if they're transported to the place they're reading about, but I just couldn't get a feel for any of this, so the book wasn't that interesting.  There were also too many characters to get involved with.  I understand that wineries have many employees, but it would have been nice to center on just a few instead of so many, then the author could have given us descriptions instead of bare bones, as it were.  I never felt we got to know any of them.

Another thing is that Cammy said they didn't want anything in the tasting room to interfere with the wine - meaning Glenda's smudging - but they have a restaurant there?  Wouldn't the smells from the food interfere?  Also, why are employee records kept in the tasting room instead of up at the house?  Wouldn't the owner of the winery want important papers to be kept close instead of where anyone could access them if they had a key to the tasting room?  Also, when the coyotes were out, everyone was concerned about Charlie the dog being kept inside, but not one person worried whether the coyotes would get Alvin, who was outside?  Coyotes will go after goats, too.  Just curious about these.

So with those out of the way, this was a pretty decent start, with Norrie returning home to the winery, which she hates, hoping to hunker down and get her latest screenplay written when Elsbeth is found.  I understand that she wants to find the killer as it's disrupting the winery, but it's a stretch when she goes off half-cocked because she believes she knows who the killer is, and her new friends are basically helping her instead of telling her to let the police handle it.

She goes around questioning the other winery owners - who apparently have no clue what she's doing - and the Elsbeth's niece - who apparently does and tells the police, even though she didn't say anything to her that seemed even remotely like she was investigating, in my opinion.  Then she comes up with the above-mentioned idea that could ruin everything for her family, which tells me she doesn't think things through, but flies on the seat of her pants, which isn't always a good thing unless you have nothing to lose - which she does.

Anyway, when the ending came and the killer was discovered, it came as a complete surprise but seemed rather rushed.  It was almost as if the author was tired of the book and wanted to end it as soon as possible; and I never felt that Norrie was ever in any kind of danger, no matter what happened so there were no hairy moments in the book.  However, since this is the first in the series, I will read the second and perhaps we'll get more info on the countryside around Penn Yan and see how Norrie is fitting in with her new life merging with her old.  A decent cozy that can be read in one evening.

https://www.amazon.com/Riesling-Die-J-C-Eaton/dp/1516108019/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2520484579

More on J.C. Eaton's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/j-c-eaton/

Death by the Sea (Death by the Sea Mysteries #1)

Author:  Kathleen Bridge
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:9781516105236
Lyrical Underground Publishing
200 Pages
$15.00; $0.99 Amazon
April 3, 2018

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The Indialantic by the Sea hotel has a hundred-year-old history on beautiful Melbourne Beach, Florida, and more than a few guests seem to have been there from the start.  When Liz Holt returns home an an intense decade in New York, she's happy to be surrounded by the eccentric clientele and loving relatives that populate her family-run inn, and doubly pleased to see the business is staying afloat thanks to its vibrant shopping emporium and a few very wealthy patrons.

But that patronage decreased by one when a filthy rich guest is discovered dead in her oceanfront suite.  Maybe this is simply a jewel theft gone wrong, but maybe someone - or many people - wanted the hotel's prosperous guest dead.  Only one thing is sure:  there's a killer at the Indialantic, and if Liz lets herself be distracted - by her troubled past or the tempting man who seems eager to dredge it back up - the next reservation she'll book could be at the cemetery...

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Liz Holt is a successful author who returned to her childhood home in Florida because of a scandal in New York, one that left her face scarred and her person ostracized from literary circles.  But all is not well at the Indialantic Hotel by the Sea; first she is introduced to Ryan Stone - a New York firefighter who apparently detests her at first glance and is there to help his grandfather with his delicatessen inside the Indialantic Emporium.

Then a guest of the hotel, Regina Harrington-Worth, is found dead in her hotel room.  Luckily Liz, her father, aunt, Ryan and a few others were together at the time of death and can vouch for each other; but it's apparent that someone at the hotel or one of it's shops is the guilty party.  While Liz detested the woman, she didn't wish her dead, but there are enough people around who did.  So which one killed her?  She knows it has to be someone at the hotel, so decides to do a little investigating of her own before the hotel's reputation is ruined forever...

While this book was an okay read, there were things that bothered me.  Let's be honest, shall we?  Liz states she was ostracized by the literary community for something that occurred between her and her ex-boyfriend, also a writer, that left her with a permanent scar on her face.  We have no idea what this is, since the author didn't see fit to tell us.  Oh, please.  If the literary community didn't ostracize  many other authors for scandals (including murder) then what did she do to have this happen?  There have been plenty of literary scandals dating back decades ago; plus she was acquitted of any wrongdoing - and it's unfair to the reader not to give the details so we can judge for ourselves if we think it was ostracize-worthy. 

Which brings us to Ryan, who has nothing but disdain for Liz for the "supposed scandal" he knows nothing about (welcome to the club, Ryan!)  He rushes to take the side of the man involved without actually having been at the trial or knowing the details but merely accepts it because of the other person being a man whose book he read (then tries to get out of it later by using the bro-code, which just doesn't fly).  He just assumes she's guilty and starts calling her Princess (which is what her ex called her) to make digs at her; this tells me he's a louse at heart.  He doesn't even want to know the truth or he would have taken the time to learn it.  A good man wouldn't have made assumptions and we're supposed to believe he 'reforms' after spending time with her? 

Then we have an eighty-year-old woman (Great Aunt Amelia) who practically gambols around a hotel merrily (not to mention allowing a guest to verbally attack her niece without saying a word in defense).  Amelia comes off as practically having dementia.  She's living in the past of her youth, watching old television shows she was on, talking about them constantly.  She just can't move on to the present.  I seriously doubt if retired actors sit around and talk about their old films/TV shows or even watch them.  I doubt if they spew the content to anyone who will listen.  And hasn't everyone who knows Amelia already heard every single story?  She seems to have been a prolific actress but not a very good one if she couldn't land a permanent role.  She needs to get a grip.  I think she's supposed to be eccentric, but just comes off as pathetic.  I didn't find her interesting, merely the type of person who sits and rambles about their past.  Sad, actually.  

There's also an eighty-year-old chef who falls asleep, forgets ingredients (that Liz has to add) and makes a mess of the kitchen (that Liz has to clean up).  Who did it while she was living in Manhattan?  Who made sure the meals were correct?  Or did people just eat the food without realizing key ingredients weren't there? 

Why are all the shops named "by the Sea?"  Can the tourist not figure out these places are by the sea and need to be informed before they enter every one?  Overkill.  Wordy.  Not necessary.  There was also too much talk of 1960's television and it felt as if it were just filler.  Yes, there are people who have never seen these shows and/or don't know the characters; but then again we don't really need to know the plot of every single show Amelia was on.  It also seems like everyone is living at the hotel for free except for the Worths, so how are they making any money to keep it going?  Everyone (except Liz and Ryan) has a 'suite of rooms' at the hotel.

I didn't really understand why Liz was investigating; she didn't have a reason to do so, it seems Charlotte was doing a decent job.  But is it Detective or Agent Pearson?  At first she's introduced as Agent Pearson, then later on it's noted she's a homicide detective.  Do they call her Agent Detective Pearson (or Detective Agent Pearson)?  One or the other, please, but not both.

The murder was solved nicely although I think the pieces fit together a little too conveniently.  It seemed as if the author just couldn't bear to hurt anyone in the book regardless of their level of guilt.  I also didn't much care for Ryan, Liz, or Amelia, and you need to care about the characters.  Hopefully this series will improve with the second book, and also hopefully we'll find out what exactly happened to Liz that sent her scurrying home to Papa and Aunt Amelia; but if I have to listen to many more of Auntie's stories, I don't know if I'll continue on to book three.

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Sea-Mystery-Kathleen-Bridge-ebook/dp/B073PBH358/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2512095994

More on Kathleen Bridge's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/kathleen-bridge/

Royally Dead (A Stitch in Time Mystery Book 3)

Author:  Greta McKennan
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
9781516101733
Lyrical Underground
214 Pages
$15.00; $5.99 Amazon
September 11, 2018

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Daria's roommate, Aileen, plays guitar in a metal band, but one of her bandmates is branching out musically and asks Daria to craft a kilt for an upcoming bagpipe competition.  The locals in Laurel Springs, Pennsylvania, are really looking forward to the Highland Games, and the Scottish regalia needs to be just right.

Then one of the athletes collapses during the event, a victim of poisoned whiskey.  As suspicion spreads and the police turn their attention to Aileen, Daria vows not to let the real killer get off scot-free...

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Daria Dembrowski is a seamstress who is attending the Highland Games both as a vendor and a spectator when she finds out that her renter Aileen, singer and guitarist for the band Twisted Armpits, seems to know one of the game contestants, Ladd Foster.  Their meeting doesn't seem to be a pleasant one, but Daria decides to stay out of the altercation.

The festivities are in high gear and she plans to be part of it, and that includes meeting the author Morris West, who has written a fictional book about Scotland's Bonnie Prince Charlie and when he meets Daria, envisions her as his heroine from his book named Catherine and continues to call her by that name, to her annoyance.  Then Aileen's bandmate Corgi asks Daria if she will fashion a kilt for him, since he's learned to play the bagpipes and wants to enter the competitions - the one he has is a cheap knockoff and will not pass muster and even costs him points in performing.

But during the games Ladd suddenly collapses and falls dead and Daria, with her innate curiosity discovers the source which happens to be the flask he was drinking from during the day.  While it seems he left the flask in a tent that was also visited by four others beside herself - including Aileen - she wonders which one hated him enough to kill him.  But when the police arrive, the flask has disappeared from the tent, and now finding a killer as well as the weapon of choice could be very difficult indeed.

She's also creating a wedding gown with a tilt to Scotland for a friend, and a young girl named Gillian had an infatuation with Ladd, not to mention the girl's surly attitude could only make it worse; and at the last, she meets an employee of the Templeton museum who offers to let her see the wedding gown and diary of a long-ago resident of their town, Margaret Oliphant, the woman for whom the local college was named.  Little does Daria know that once again her curiosity may bring her into mortal danger...

This is the third book in the series, and after reading the first two, I truly believe that Ms. McKennan has found her voice.  While I have to be honest and say I wasn't enthralled with the first one, in this book the story line kept me riveted throughout.

While it may seem to some that there are several plot lines going at the same time, they are all (mostly) entwined and watching them come together is indeed a delight.  We follow Daria as she innocently tries to complete the wedding dress and create an authentic Scottish kilt while not only participating in the Scottish celebration but watching it as well, while surreptitiously keeping an eye on the young Gillian in an effort to keep her out of harm's way.

Adding to this is the fact that Daria's tenant Aileen is suspected of killing Ladd, although Daria knows it's not possible.  Aileen may act tough, but Daria knows there's a soft underbelly that wouldn't kill.  So she sets out to look at the other suspects while trying to find out who had the best motive; even involving her maybe-boyfriend Sean McCarty, a newspaper photographer/reporter.  (To be fair, he plays along with her willingly in the hopes he'll get a story).

For the most part I was highly entertained; Daria is evolving into a a woman who's coming into her own, who's becoming braver within herself and more circumspect with others, McCarthy is beginning to grow on me and I do love a man with a sense of humor; and while we learned a little more about Aileen's past, it still doesn't explain how she got to where she is today.  (From one extreme to another?)

All in all, as I stated above, the plot line was very good and the story was written well.  I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout the tale that brought everything together in the end, much like watching a fine tapestry being woven and delighting in the final product.  When the killer was discovered (although I figured it out early on - but then again, I read a lot of these) and the reason for the murder revealed, it reminds us that even those that seem the most stable can often be the most insane around us.

Ms. McKennan is indeed learning her craft, and this, as the third book in the series, proves that fact.  She has managed to give Daria and Sean life, and make us want to visit the small town of Laurel Springs, Pennsylvania. Her characters are becoming well-rounded and believable; and when I finished this book I realized I was ready for the next in the series and that's a very good thing.  Recommended.

https://smile.amazon.com/Royally-Dead-Stitch-Time-Mystery-ebook/dp/B078LJPZH8/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2509490405

More on Greta McKennan's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/greta-mckennan/

Historically Dead (A Stitch in Time Mystery Book #2)

Author:  Greta McKennan
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781516101726
Lyrical Underground Publishing
222 Pages
$15.00; $2.99 Amazon
December 19, 2017

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Seamstress Daria Dembrowski must find a historically-minded killer before the fabric of her peaceful town rips wide open...

When the reality show My House in History comes to Laurel Springs, Pennsylvania, savvy seamstress Daria Dembrowski sees a business opportunity.  The show follows two elderly sisters' quest to restore their colonial mansion and that means a heap of work for a seamstress who specializes in historical textiles.  Although one of the old women is a bit of a grump, Daria loves the job-until she discovers one of the researchers dead, and the whole project threatens to unwind.

As a series of historical crimes pile up, from a stolen Paul Revere platter to a chilling incident of arson, Daria must find the killer quickly, for her life is hanging by a thread.

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When Daria Dembrowski accepts the task of sewing historical clothing and curtains for a couple of elderly women in her town, she's willing to put up with the bad attitude of one of them.  She's willing to work in the home instead of her own.  She's not so willing to discover a dead body - but that's exactly what she does. 

Her job is part of a reality television show where people agree to have their homes returned to their original historic beginnings - which in this case means ripping everything out of the kitchen and having a brick hearth installed (but incredulously, they're not ripping out the bathroom plumbing.  Go figure.)  Anyway, Daria is installed in one of the bedrooms converted to a sewing room where she can live in part time while she sews historical clothing and curtains - by hand - for the residents of the home while everything is being filmed.

There is also a local college professor in residence who is helping, and he has the drawings Daria needs to complete her work.  When she attempts to locate him she does exactly that - but not in a living condition.  Soon it's discovered that he's been murdered, and the entire household is under suspicion for his death.  Surprisingly, knowing she's under the roof with a murderer doesn't faze her as much as it should, even while she's trying to figure out who killed him.

But as if things couldn't get any worse, she's also in the process of creating a wedding gown for a nice young law student named Fiona, and discovers that Fiona's fiancé is none other than her own ex, the lying, stealing Randall Flint.  Since she likes Fiona she won't say anything, but what makes it doubly uncomfortable is he's also the attorney for the two sisters and is spending nearly as much time at their home as she is.

Then there's the fact that someone is sabotaging her home...first eggs, then dead mice, and it only escalates from there.  Not even the formidable Aileen can figure out who's trying to intimidate them, and her brother Pete is working long hours and barely home.  But why would anyone want to hurt them?  Are the two things related?  Daria vows to figure it out, even if it kills her...

I almost didn't read this book because I was so disappointed in the first, but I have to admit that this one was better, which is a good thing.  However, it isn't to say that it doesn't have its problems.  First, she's been dating Sean McCarty, the photographer for the local newspaper, and she doesn't treat him very well.  In fact, they don't really act like a couple.  There's a bit of hand-holding, but that's about it.  No cuddling, no kisses; it seems she's more interested in him as a ride to the fabric store than anything else.  It's sad because regardless of the fact I don't care for men with long hair, I'm beginning to like him as a person (and feel sorry for him, which is worse).

Which brings us to the fact that this woman needs therapy.  Badly.  Driving terrifies her for some reason, but she won't find out why.  She'd rather inconvenience anyone around her by begging for rides (when she's not riding the bus or taking a cab) than actually face her fears and overcome them so she's spending a lot of time on the bus, and since buses don't have only one stop going from point A to point B could take an hour or more.  What will she do when people refuse to be her chauffeur anymore?  (She has a driver's license, not an ID, but how did she get it if she's terrified of driving?)

Which pretty much explains why she didn't demand Randall give back the money he stole or pointing out to Fiona that he's a slimeball.  She's still a doormat in this book, which is rather disappointing.  I had hoped she'd gotten a backbone, but no such luck.  She's proving that she has no common sense when it comes to men at all.  She lets Randall walk all over her, but keeps McCarthy at arms length.

However, the writing was much better this time out, and the mystery was decent.  While I figured out who the murderer was pretty early on (I read a lot of these), there were still enough twists and turns to keep me interested for the most part.  There were a couple of interesting scenes thrown in, and I do like it when people get their comeuppance.

I still think there's something wrong with Aileen - as I've stated before, rockers don't dress at home the same way they dress when they're onstage (as I've stated in a previous review, can you imagine members of Kiss or Alice Cooper walking around dressed like that in daily life?)  Yeah, they don't.  So there's probably something a little mentally off about Aileen - which you can figure out yourself if you read what she eats, which is enough to make anyone throw up.  While she might seem fierce, it's hard to truly like someone like that or make them a believable character.

Everything came together in the end and the pieces fit together nicely.  Daria proved that she can be brave when she wants to be (and I know I'm repeating myself) so it doesn't make sense that she's not brave enough to face her fear about driving.  If you can face down a murderer, you should be able to face down the mean streets of a small town.  A cozy mystery for a quiet evening's read.

https://www.amazon.com/Historically-Dead-Greta-McKennan/dp/1516101723/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2150290563

More on Greta McKennan's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/greta-mckennan/

Uniformly Dead (A Stitch in Time Mystery #1)

Author:  Greta McKennan
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781516101719
Lyrical Press
204 Pages
$15.00; $3.99 Amazon
May 16, 2017

✮✮

Historical seamstress Daria Dembrowski has her work cut out for her as she searches for a killer's pattern...

Daria has come up with a brilliant new plan to expand her seamstress business beyond stitching wedding gowns - historical sewing.  And with Civil War re-enactors setting up camp in her hometown of Laurel Springs, Pennsylvania, she has plenty of opportunities, including one client playing a Confederate colonel who's a particular stickler for authenticity.

But soon the small-town peace starts coming apart at the seams as an antique doll is stolen from a Civil War exhibit and the cranky colonel is found impaled by his own bayonet.  When Daria's brother is suspected of the theft and a bridal client's fiance is accused of the murder, Daria is determined to untangle the clues to prove their innocence.  She needs to get this case sewn up fast, though, before the murderer re-enacts the crime and makes her history.

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Daria Dembrowski is a seamstress who works out of her home.  She's currently making wedding gowns and such but wants to branch out into historical costumes.  She's given her chance when a man named Colonel Windstrom (his re-enactor name) hires her to make his Confederate uniform 'historically accurate.'  But then her brother Pete arrives asking to stay with her, and she learns why soon enough, and it's not a pretty picture.

When she gets Pete to take her to a local museum so she can study uniforms for accuracy, there's a bit of a debacle.  First, Pete's long time nemesis Emmett McDowell is there, signing copies of his new book and still harassing her brother no end.  Pete finally has had enough and leaves, but as he's doing so, there's a commotion between the colonel and a man who seems to be a photographer which has him accidentally running into Daria and knocking her to the floor.  After she's helped up by another re-enactor, Jim Laker, the lights go out and when they come on again, a doll in the exhibit is missing and the finger is pointed at her brother.

Meanwhile, she still has the wedding gown she needs to finish for a friend named Marsha, and she's getting married within the week to a nice young man, Chris, who also happens to be one of the re-enactors.  When she arrives at the battlefield for a final fitting for the colonel, she's not surprised he's just as unpleasant as he's always been and discovers when the transaction is over that she's been stiffed twenty dollars.  Not wanting to face the colonel again she decides to let it go, but realizes she's left her tape measure behind and when she returns to the tent to retrieve it finds her friend Chris standing over the bloody body of the colonel holding the bayonet that killed him.

Refusing to believe that Chris is guilty, and with Marsha begging her to help him, Daria can't refuse, not even when she discovers that her brother is next in line to be tagged as a murderer and she just might find herself in the crosshairs as well...

This is the first in the series and therefore I usually give the author a bit of leeway as to storyline, characters, etc.  But when you begin a book with something that obviously doesn't make sense then it doesn't bode well for the rest of the book.  As I've stated many times, I'm a person who pays attention to details, which is why I couldn't like this book.

Supposedly her ex-boyfriend lived with her while he was going to law school, then when he passed the bar he worked in his father's firm for awhile but eventually skipped town, taking everything in their joint bank account with him.  First, he's an attorney and knows this is against the law.  Secondly, he worked in his father's firm - which, I'm guessing is in town since she didn't state otherwise.  So why didn't she go see the father and ask his help in getting her money back?  Unless he was on his son's side and encouraged him to steal from her, he should have been some help since he probably knew where his son was.  If he was on his son's side, his law practice would have been down the tubes the minute everyone she knew found out what had been done, and that the father hadn't stopped it or helped her get the money back.  This would show that he didn't care about theft in his own family; and I certainly would have made it known that he refused to help.  This is mistake number one.

How could her brother be accused of stealing the doll when he left the museum before the lights went out?  Did he run back in very fast and turn out the lights, smash the case, steal the doll and then run out again in a matter of minutes?  Please explain this.

Daria says she hates driving, and takes the bus everywhere.  So she carries items she makes on a crowded bus without worrying about them being wrinkled or jostled?  You can't just stuff handmade clothing into a bag as she does.  It needs to be in a garment bag, and where on earth on a bus are you going to keep it nice?    She’s a seamstress, and what if there was an occasion where she’d have to go to a customer’s home or the bus was late?  It doesn't seem like this is a very good career choice for someone who won't drive.

Also, I don't like her renter Aileen.  She's disrespectful and acts like she owns the house.  I don't care how much she pays for rent, I would remind her who the owner is and if she moves out, so be it.  I wouldn't allow any renter to treat me or mine that way, and not even 'protecting' Daria would make a difference.  (Rock band?  With the name of the band and the way Aileen dresses it seems more like a grunge/punk band.  Plus, she has no table manners and the way she eats she'd have bad skin and probably stomach issues later in life.  Yuck.)  Even rockers don't dress at home the same way they dress on stage.  Gene Simmons wearing KISS makeup and costumes around the house?  Yeah, right...

Which brings us to the fact that Daria is a doormat.  She hasn't got the backbone she was born with.  She allows everyone to push her around instead of standing up to them, and I hate women who are weak-willed.   I also don't care for male love interests with long hair, so Sean never appealed to me at all.  Unfortunately, with these things being unappealing, you can pretty much guess that the book would be unappealing, too.

Then, Officer Carson keeps investigating.  Why?  Is this town so small there are no homicide detectives?  In that case, one would be imported from the nearest town over.  Officers do not investigate murders.  Homicide Detectives investigate murders - and they don't wear uniforms, something the author should have known if she's seen even one crime show on television.  Another example is the waltz they were playing at the Civil War ball was The Blue Danube, which wasn't composed until 1866 or performed until 1867 - after the Civil War ended.  They wanted to be accurate, so should have chosen accurate music.

Also, what about the situation with Daria and Pete's father?  We're given a paragraph about it, but nothing else.  Is this the author's way of ensuring we read the next in the series?  This is just the author 'holding the readers hostage' in order that they will read the next in the series.

It was difficult to get past these things, because most of them could have been handled differently and more believable.  As it was, the entire book seemed like the author didn't care, she just wanted to get something published.  I couldn't even get excited about the ending, which was pretty decent, because of it.  I don't know if I'll be reading another in this series or not.

https://smile.amazon.com/Uniformly-Dead-Greta-McKennan/dp/1516101715/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2502481289

More on Greta McKennan's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/greta-mckennan/

A Deadly Brew (A Tourist Trap Mystery 9.5)

Author:  Lynn Cahoon
Genre:  Mystery

Digital Book
Lyrical Press (Penguin)
67 Pages
$1.99 Amazon
September 4, 2018

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The house sat empty for fifteen years, taking up prime real estate along the picturesque coastline.  Built by one of the founders of South Cove, its last known owner, Maryanne Demerit, vanished without a trace.  Now her home will be demolished for a condo development, but until then, it's the perfect spot for a Halloween haunted house.

Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, her boyfriend, and three other couples are spending the weekend in the Demerit home.  But what begins as an all-in-good-fun fright fest turns into a mystery begging to be solved as Jill is contacted by the ghost of Maryanne....

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It's nearing Halloween, and Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More in the small town of South Cove, California, has agreed to spend a weekend in a soon-to-be torn down haunted house, along with her boyfriend Greg King, South Cove's sheriff, and three other couples.  Among them is Greg's receptionist and local psychic Esmeralda, who insists that the house really is haunted.

When they find a room full of potions they decide to do an impromptu seance that leads them to discover that the the resident ghost is a woman named Maryanne, who was also a witch, but others are not so sure.    They also have a partial idea of why she's there - to find her child - Jill's ever-active curiosity takes off, especially after a disturbing dream about Maryanne during which Greg was having trouble waking her.

While exploring the house Jill and her friend come across a remarkable scene in what appears to be a library, and it strengthens the idea that something indeed is going on.  But it will take the entire group to find the truth of the matter and why Maryanne is still remaining nearby...

This is a short story written by the prolific and talented Lynn Cahoon, part of the Tourist Trap Mysteries.  Because of some of the things written (a scene involving Sasha, for one) I get the idea that this was written earlier but never published in the order it should have been.  However, as far as short stories go it was not only quick, as it was meant to be, but delightfully semi-spooky as well.

I rarely read short stories because I don't feel they give enough background nor information before they've ended, but Ms. Cahoon has managed to incorporate our characters well - and if you read it you know them well; if not, I suggest you start with the beginning Guidebook to Murder, because the series will reel you in and you'll want to read the others.  The writing is brisk, the mystery well done, the plot line intriguing.  Another sparkling tale in the series, which is always welcome.

Anyway, it's a delightful tale that doesn't have a scary quality, but still has a couple of nice scenes, and discovering the truth of what happened to Maryanne is not only interesting, it shows us how easily the author can pull us into the story and keep us there to the end.  I truly enjoyed this one, and if I had any questions, the only one would be, why didn't Maryanne just stay in Louisiana?  Highly recommended.

https://smile.amazon.com/Deadly-Brew-Tourist-Trap-Mystery-ebook/dp/B078LNGPBJ/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2502365057

More on Lynn Cahoon's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/lynn-cahoon/